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Online memorial created for woman killed by falling tree

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COSTA MESA — Family and friends of a Tustin woman killed about two weeks ago by a falling tree have created an online memorial.

Visitors to the Dignity Memorial can view a photo gallery of Haeyoon Miller. The 29-year-old died Sept. 15 when a 10-ton, 50-foot eucalyptus inexplicably fell from a median and landed on her car as she waited at a red light.

“The photos paint a picture of a wonderful person who truly lived a full life,” George Osorio, Miller’s longtime boyfriend, wrote in an email. “If you did not know Ms. Miller well, or have only heard her name, the photo gallery is well worth looking through in its entirety to appreciate who she was.”

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Miller’s loved ones held a private memorial for her Friday at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, where she was laid to rest.

Miller’s death sparked a rapid, sweeping evaluation of local eucalyptus trees by Costa Mesa and Newport Beach city leaders.

Miller was killed on Irvine Avenue just north of 17th Street, near the Newport Beach city limits. While the tree that fell was in Costa Mesa, Newport maintained it and others planted along the median.

Within days of the fatal incident, Newport Beach removed more than 100 eucalyptus, deeming them potentially unsafe.

City arborists have not yet determined what caused the tree to fell, but did note that it was not diseased. An earthquake took place before the accident, however, which possibly weakened the tree’s root system.

Miller’s memorial can be found by searching her name at obits.dignitymemorial.com. A video tribute to Miller can be found by searching “Haeyoon Miller tribute” on YouTube.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

Twitter: @JosephSerna

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